A recent international meta-analysis found that children raised by same-sex parents are not developmentally disadvantaged compared to those raised by heterosexual parents.
The study examined 34 studies published between 1989 and 2022 in countries where same-sex marriage was legal, to identify disparities between LGBT and heterosexual parent families in relation to major family outcomes such as children’s psychological adjustment, physical health, gender role behavior, gender identity and sexual orientation, and education outcomes.
The analysis found that children raised by LGBT parents, especially pre-school-age children, demonstrated better psychological adjustment than those raised by heterosexual parents.
Additionally, the review indicated that LGBT parents were equal to heterosexual parents in terms of relationship satisfaction, mental health, parenting stress, and family functioning.
The study was published in the journal BMJ Global Health.
Fifteen percent (14.7%) of the 1.1 million same-sex couples in the United States in 2019 had at least one child under 18 in their household, compared with 37.8% of opposite-sex couples, according to a U.S. Census Bureau analysis of current census (CPS) data.
Census.gov Same-Sex Couples Are More Likely to Adopt or Foster Children
Read the Study > Family outcome disparities between sexual minority and heterosexual families: a systematic review and meta-analysis
